Over the last few days I have participated in the Stefano Marchetti Workshop, held at Fremantle Arts Centre and supported by the Jewellers and Metalsmiths Group of Australia (JMGA WA). Stefano is a Master Goldsmith from Padova, Italy and specialises in creating Metal Mosaics. It was great to be back in a collaborative studio space with other like minded individuals. Sometimes it can be quite isolating working in a studio space all by yourself, and this way you get to bounce ideas off each other and learn different techniques.
A brooch made by Stefano Marchetti.
We made ingots of sterling silver, shibuichi and gold before rolling and drawing them through a metal plate to create wires. We also made our own solder to join the wires together. Everything was so fine, so a magnifying glasses were a must! This exercise was certainly great practice for soldering skills as each small mosaic square was about 1.5mm.
Fine granules were melted in a charcoal block to create ingots.
Placing solder on the wires (held together with binding wire) to create precious metal mosaic patterns.
Soldering the wires together.
Stefano soldering the tiny precious metal mosaics.
At the work bench.
The workshop was topped off with a beer at the pub and a certificate for having completed the Precious Metal Mosaics Masterclass with Stefano Marchetti.
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